25 of the Worst Year’s Best DIYs and Posts

This was a pretty garbage year, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t some things worth celebrating. Here are 25 of my most popular DIY projects and plant care posts from 2020, plus a few sentimental favorites that I’m hoping will be on my most popular list next year!

25 of this year’s most popular DIY projects and posts on my blog!

Hey guys, welcome to my roundup of 25 of my best DIY project and plant posts from 2020! I like doing something like this at the end of each year. It helps me take stock of what is working well on the blog, but it also helps me reflect on all the cool stuff I’ve done. It’s been kind of a garbage year for a lot of us, so it’s been nice looking through some things that have made me happy.

And apparently they have made other people happy too, because these are some of my most popular posts! This year I decided to include posts that have been published in past years, too. Why? Because I have a lot of new readers this year (you guys must have been really bored in quarantine to find me), and you might not hav ever seen some of these.

Plus, if I published them years ago and they are still super popular, they must be halfway decent (even if the photography kind of sucks in the older ones!). So I’ll cut the blabbering and start the list!

1. Eucalyptus plant care

My eucalyptus plant care post is actually THE most popular post traffic-wise this year, and it’s one I published this year! I had been dying to get my hands on a beautiful eucalyptus plant for years, but I hadn’t seen one locally for a decent price. When I saw a live potted one at one of my local nurseries, I scooped it up SO fast.

I had my eucalyptus inside for about a month before it got warm enough to bring it outside. And I repotted it once midway through the summer—that’s how fast it was growing. Check out the massive plant below, second pic! Sadly I had no room for this one inside, so I had to re-home it in the fall. For a last hurrah, I did a post about how to dry and preserve eucalyptus branches 🙂

2. How to strip and finish branches

This is the first of a few pretty old posts that is still doing really well on Google and Pinterest. It’s about how to strip and finish branches for decor. I originally did this post to show how I preserved some large tree branches for my DIY cat tree, but I updated it last year for the website Hometalk to show the process on a smaller scale.

3. How to hang shelves in an apartment

My post about how to hang shelves in an apartment was fun to do because we hung the shelves in my brother and his girlfriend’s at-the-time new apartment. We lived in apartments for many years, so we totally get how difficult it can be to personalize apartments with wall hanging restrictions.

These shelves are awesome because they are designed for drywall, but you don’t need drywall anchors. They leave very minimal damage in the walls—just really small holes. Definitely worth checking out if you want something easy to mount!

4. How to plant succulents in pots without holes

I got questions from people are how to plant succulents in pot without drainage holes so often that I decided to write a post about it! While pots with drainage holes are always the best choice, many plants can live happily in pots without drainage holes (including many of my own plants). It’s a similar concept to how I add drainage into hanging planters. Still hell-bent on drainage holes? Check out my post on how to drill drainage holes in pots.

5. Our fab DIY murphy bed

Not only does our DIY murphy bed project remain one of my most popular—it’s also one of our favorites! This monster of a post walks you through the whole process. I was also honored to have this project featured in Better Homes and Gardens Do It Yourself magazine this year!

6. Elephant ear plant care guide

I really have a love-hate relationship with elephant ear plants. They are gorgeous outdoors and indoors—but I find they are much easier to take care of outdoors. They get huge and gorgeous—check out the pics below. My post also covers how to handle spider mite issues, which is a common problem for elephants indoors. I also have a related post on how to harvest and store elephant ear bulbs for the winter since these won’t live in freezing temps.

7. How to use the Cricut knife blade to cut wood

Out of all of my Cricut posts, this is the only one that made the most popular list! I love working with my Cricuts, and this post was all about how to use the Cricut Maker’s knife blade to cut wood. I have done a couple wood-cutting projects using my Cricut Maker, including a cute little wooden cake topper.

8. Small townhouse patio ideas

I’ve been doing a yearly tiny back patio post for a few years now, and last summer’s remains the most popular! The first two pics below are our small townhouse patio last year. The next two are from the post about this year’s patio—we had a few challenges not really doing much shopping, but I still love it 🙂 Here is this year’s post.

9. How to propagate snake plants

Snake plants are fun to propagate, it takes a bit longer than some of the other common houseplants, but there are a few ways to do it! And snake plants are so cheap, so that’s great. My post outlines four different ways you can propagate snake plants from leaves and cuttings. Check it out, and while you’re at it, check out my snake plant care guide.

10. DIY cat tree using real branches

I mentioned my popular post about how to strip and finish tree branches for decor and that they were originally for a cat tree. This is my DIY cat tree using real branches! This tree has survived a move and many years of many cat naps and scratches. I published an update post two years ago as well. If this project is too much, check out my indoor cat house side table build!

11. How to care for string of pearls

Another popular plant care post—how to care for string of pearls. This gorgeous trailing succulent looks amazing in hanging planters. I had the first one below out for the summer, and it exploded with growth. This succulent needs a bit more water than other succulents, in my experience. It’s also easy to propagate string of pearls.

12. DIY wood bead Christmas tree garland

The only holiday-themed DIY in this post—I made this DIY wood bead Christmas tree garland last year, and it was a late post, very close to Christmas. No one really saw it last year, but this year it started blowing up on Pinterest in the fall! It’s such an easy DIY that doesn’t scream “holidays.” 🙂 It was perfect for our little live potted tree.

13. How to propagate monstera deliciosa

Monstera deliciosa is a gorgeous and trendy plant. And lucky for you, propagating it is easy! Probably why it was one of my top posts this year. There are a few ways to propagate monsteras, and once your plant is rollin with its new roots, you can learn how to care for it with my care guide too. (Related: How to care for monstera adansonii and propagate it.)

14. Installing luxury vinyl plank flooring

Easily one of the best decisions we’re made in this house, laying LifeProof luxury vinyl plank flooring! We replaced the gross carpet downstairs and replaced it with a gray-brown vinyl plank flooring. I made the decision after I did a ton of research and reviewed 10 vinyl plank flooring brands. And because I get so many questions about these floors, I did an update post a year later to show how they were holding up!

15. How to paint terracotta pots

Terracotta pots are cheap and easy to find. And they are also fun and easy to paint using cheap acrylic paint. I have painted a ton terracotta pots for my plants, both for indoors and outdoors. This tutorial tells you everything you need to know!

16. Sew an easy baby blanket

This is a suuuuuper old post about how to sew an easy baby blanket. In fact, this post is so old that the baby I made it for is in elementary school now! I later made a second one for another baby, and I adapted it to a play mat for my daughter when she was born. For that, I just used the thickest batting I could find for the filling instead of the super thin batting.

17. Refinishing and sealing an Ikea Gerton desk top

I am writing this post to you from this desktop! It was such a great investment many years ago. The sealant has held up very well, too. I haven’t had to redo it at all over the years. too. Check out how to refinish and seal an Ikea Gerton desktop if you’re looking to upgrade your own workspace.

18. How to propagate peperomia plants

Last propagation post in this list! How to propagate peperomia. This one is crazy easy to propagate, even using just a single leaf or stem! I like doing it in water, watching the new growth emerge, and then planting it in soil. My post has tons of pics to help you throughout the process. I also have a peperomia care post.

19. How to stain and finish wood

Similar to the Ikea Gerton desktop post, this post goes through everything you need to know to stain and finish wood. Staining and finishing wood is such an easy way to give a piece a bit more personality or a more professional look.

20. DIY hexagon-shaped epoxy resin coasters

This was such a fun project! I worked a lot with resin this past year, and this was one of my favorite projects. My DIY hexagon-shaped resin coasters are super practical and were easy to make. You can use different alcohol inks, mica dye powders, and other pigments to give them a good look, too.

21. Fiddle leaf fig care guide

Second-to-last plant care guide on this roundup. You guys love plant care! This one is all about how to care for fiddle leaf fig plants. They can be tricky…but not impossible! I also have a post about how to propagate fiddle leaf figs, which I’ve had great success with!

22. DIY toddler house-shaped bed frame

I am sooo glad this one is doing well! I absolutely love this project, and Ramona does too! We build this house-shaped toddler bed and modified it from existing plans by adding a headboard, footer, and railings to make it more appropriate for a toddler. It goes without saying that this one is used daily 🙂

23. How to clean houseplant leaves

This was a post I was even wondering if I should write or not. If you’re wondering how to clean houseplant leaves, check this post out. It’s quick and easy, and as a heads up—I don’t recommend using over-the-counter leaf shine products!

24. DIY printer stand and storage for Cricut machines

I modeled this DIY printer/Cricut stand after my monitor stand I made several years ago. For this one, I just made it a bit bigger and added a second level. It’s the perfect way to organize my Cricut machines and my printer. And it makes much more space on my desk top! This DIY can be adapted for a lot of storage situations, too.

25. How to care for pothos plants

Aaaaaand the last popular post! And it’s a plant care post all about taking care of the gorgeous, timeless, and easy-to-find pothos plant. It’s a houseplant staple, and it’s super easy to care for! Just don’t overwater it and you’ll be good to go. I also have a pothos propagation post if you’re curious.

And a few sentimental favorites…

And I have to go over a few of my sentimental favorites, too. These are some of my favorite projects of the whole year, and I hope they end up on my most popular posts list next year 🙂 They are my DIY rainbow wall decals in Ramona’s room, my tiered plant stand with room for hanging plants, my banana tree care guide (first year with a banana tree in the ground!), the amazing modern dollhouse I made for R’s birthday, and my Ikea glass cabinet turned into a greenhouse. Pics below 🙂

Pin my roundup of 25 of my most popular DIYs and plant care posts!